The face behind the mask
by CharityBell
Summary: So many years Naruto has fought to bring back Sasuke. Because he could not succeed, he wants to bring an end to his life by jumping into a chasm. But suddenly, s.o. grabs him from behind. What brings the mysterious s.o.? Life or death? SasuxNaru
1. Naruto's unlucky heart

**Note: Hello everyone! This is my first fanfic. Be nice, please! ;D**

**Btw, this is boyxboy so don't like, don't read. **

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 1**

**Naruto's unlucky heart**

Sometimes, desperation is like freezing ice for vulnerable souls, crowded by dark shadows of sorrow.

It was winter in Konoha. But in spite of the low temperatures, Naruto was standing barefoot in front of a big chasm.

It was the chasm in which Jiraiya had thrown him, many years ago.

Back then, he had been able to survive only because of the Kyuubi, sealed away deep inside of his body. But this time, it would be different.

He would not call his demonic powers. He'd go voluntary. Because he felt this deep, inner desperation, which had clung itself to his heart with it's ice-cold, nasty fingers.

The last encounter with Sasuke he'd had a few days ago. Repeatedly he had failed to bring him back to the village. Home.

He had failed everyone, Sakura... But most of all he had failed himself. Many years he had lived with the dolorous loss of the raven. And now, he wanted to bring an end to it.

His hope and will had left him like the birds had left Konoha to spend the winter in warmer areas, southward.

His breath painted white, fine clouds into the cold air. He shivered. The linen shirt and simple trousers, thin as the pages of a book, weren't that suited to protect him against the cold air.

But it was a comfortable way of dressing. Like you were going to sleep.

_In fact, I'm going to sleep. Only that I'm not going to wake anymore._ Naruto thought.

He stepped so near to the mighty hole, his toes already were crossing the border between land and emptiness.

He noticed the tremble in his body while he moved. Not caused by fear but by the exhaustion of training and his last fight with Sasuke.

It had left him with several deep wounds and above all weakened. He took a last glance of the well-known landscape of Konoha. It had surrounded him since more than 16 years now...

The others would be fine. He had left them goodbye-letters. Maybe they would be surprised, since he was always carefully enough to hide his sadness and aspiration behind the mask of the always positive thinking shinobi.

_But it's not like that. I'm not like that... I'm so tired..._

He took a last, deep breath. Then, he spread his arms.

Sleep. He thought, assuaged.

Dropping down forwards, his eyes lightly closed, he had the comfortable feeling that soon, all pain would be over. He prepared himself for the tickling sensation of falling.

But he'd never fall.

Suddenly, two strong arms were wrapped around his chest, pulling him backwards. Instinctively he started struggling in trying to free him of the iron grip, but it was no use.

Just as well he could have been trying to shake off a bench vice clasping around his body.

They must have found the letters too early. _Most probably it is Kakashi, since I've left his letter right on his bed... Maybe he has returned earlier from his last mission..._

"Kakashi, listen, I..." He tried to turn his head, but a hand quickly closed about his chin and neck, making it impossible for him to catch a glimpse of his attackers face.

"...I can explain everything, just let go of me, would you?" Displeased, Naruto looked down at the pale hands that restrained him.

And then, the realization struck him like a blow in his face. These hands... Hands he knew so well. The pale, slim fingers.

This was definitely not Kakashi.

He stood paralyzed of shock, unable to make even the slightest move.

Sasuke gave a chuckle. "It looks like you've realized by now that I'm not Kakashi."

He brought his mouth to one side of Naruto's head. "Do you want to kill yourself, Naruto?"

The blonde could feel his warm breath and lips whispering against his ear. His voice sounded deep as he spoke. The heat of Sasuke's respiration let him shiver unintentionally.

Somewhere in his stomach, a well-known, tickling feeling began to raise. The feeling he always had got when their bodies accidentally had touched, or when his face had crossed his mind...

The dark, deep eyes, full of secrets, never willing to share. The sweet smell of his skin.

How many times had he imagined them standing like this, Sasuke pressing him against his body, his tender voice against his ear...

But he had given up those pictures as best as he could, seeing the truth behind the encounters of fight. Which had ended every time fatally for him.

By the time, he had admitted to himself that he was in love with Sasuke. A love, a desire, so strong it had destroyed and left him broken in the end.

Sasuke's voice went on. "Why don't you give yourself to me, instead? Wouldn't you prefer warming up that cold body rather than die?"

The ravens left hand stroke from the Naruto's upper chest down to his waist.

The sensation in his stomach began to move again, this time intense that a sound of surprise slipped through his lips.

He immediately regretted it, as the raven laughed a teasing laugh and pressed his slender body stronger against the blonde's.

"Your skin is as cold as ice... I can feel it through your clothes... So thin..." Sasuke's hand wandered deeper.

No. With an incredible expenditure of energy he freed himself of the other man's grip and spun around, at the same time backing away.

"Are you out of your mind?"

With an amused face Sasuke looked at him, his head slightly cocked to the right.

"What's the matter? Are you shy?"

Naruto frowned. "I don't know what game you are playing. You are well aware of the fact that, if we'd start a fight now, you're going to win the match.

_You left my body crushed. My body and my soul._ He thought by himself.

The raven remained silent.

So he went on. "Look, I know there is no way of bringing you back to the village. Maybe there never was. But the thing is that I now have… fulfilled the sense of my life. Or let's put it like this… I've tried, but failed."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "You're saying I am the sense of your life?"

Naruto stared at his former comrade. Sasuke was right, he noticed bewildered. He had dedicated his life to the search of his friend. And now there was nothing left of it for himself.

_Stupid Sasuke… I fought for you. For the bond that once existed and tied us together. Why are you the way you are? Why can't I hate you?_

Aloud he said. "I… I am going to die either way, right?" He shrugged his shoulders. "Through your hands or trough my own. What does it matter? I feel like I'm dying every damn day." He paused.

Then he went on, his voice hardly as loud as a whisper. "You are killing me every day, Sasuke. You don't know this feeling. My aspiration… The longing for you." He smiled, sadly.

"They say that love is one of the most amazing emotions. But the truth is that it can do both, heal and let suffer, build and destroy. This love I feel for you is horrible… It doesn't matter how hard I try to prevent it, it's just unavoidable."

He locked on to Sasuke's gaze. "I can't bear it anymore."

Sasuke folded his arms in front of his chest. "Well, that has been quite a love confession just now."

**TO BE CONTINUED!**


	2. Combat

**The story continues...  
**

**Chapter 2**

**Combat**

"Like I said, it is not of any interest anymore. You'll kill me either way."

Naruto looked down his chest and plucked at his linnen shirt. He knew what was hidden beneath the fabric. His chest looked like a battlefield, as the rest of his body.

With so many scars and wounds he was totally unable to bring on a serious fight. They would reopen…

One thing was pretty clear… In this state, he'd be no match for Sasuke.

"I won't kill you."

Naruto froze in his movement. "Then I'll kill myself."

"I won't let you." Answered Sasuke with a stern look in his eyes.

The blonde gave an angry growl and clenched his fists. "Shut the hell up! Why would you not kill me? All this time we fought out battles of life and death and now you tell me you're not going to kill me? Please!"

He laughed.

"I want to have you for myself."

Startled, Naruto fell silent and studied his erstwhile friend's face. But like always, it stood emotionless.

Pokerface. He hated it.

"Pardon me?"

"That's right. You'll come with me. Isn't this an alluring offer, since you love me so much?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes. Did Sasuke hate him so much that he wanted to torture and kill him afterwards?

He took a step backwards, suddenly wary. He had wanted a quick death. He definitely fancied the chasm death instead of slowly being ripped into pieces by Sasuke. It was not to put past the raven…

_Damn._

Quickly, he took a glance backwards, in the direction of the ravine. Eight metres, he calculated. Would he reach it before Sasuke...?

"Forget it." Came the answer to his unfinished thought. The raven had followed his gaze.

"I'd already captured you before you'd take one step."

Naruto cursed inwardly. In a flash he measured all the options he had left... He was short of chakra, because the last battle had disturbed most chakra flows in his body.

They hadn't recovered yet... So drawing out the ninetail's wasn't possible either. Nor was he able to perform any jutsus.

_Shit shit shit... Damn you, Sasuke!_

There was only left one opportunity. Hand to hand combat. Maybe he stood a chance, maybe Sasuke also had suffered under their last battle.

Maybe he could distract him and then get to the chasm somehow... Maybe he could string him along till someone in the village noticed his absence and came looking for him.

_God, so many "maybes". _He thought bitterly.

Sasuke was probably looking for information about the Leaf village. Naruto thought of the dreadful methods which were used in Konoha to extract information of a captured

enemy. No, never he would want to endure something like that.

Naruto took a deep breath and then moved his body into an offensive postition.

The other, who had followed the change of his body language, addressed him a superior smile.

"So you're not surrendering, huh? Though you know you can't win this."

"Yeah, well, let's see about that." The blonde hissed while rotating his shoulders to loose them.

Attentively he observed Sasuke, who had lowered his hand to the grip of his sword which was fastened at the height of his waist.

The sword... Suddenly, Naruto knew what to do. Maybe it would work...

He cleared his troat. _Let's hope that Sasuke has at least something of fairness left._

"What? You plan to beat me up with that sword? At least combat me hand to hand, since I don't have other weapon than my body."

Surprised of the fact that his oponent actually followed his suggestion, he watched Sasuke taking off his weapon and throwing it down into the grass.

Good. This had worked... It wasn't that far away, either. Five, six steps, he counted. If he could get a hold of the sword...

"You know" The raven's words interrupted his train of thoughts. "You could just come with me, that would save us the fighting part." His eyes were glowing in a bright crimson colour now.

Naruto shook his head. "I gave you my life. I won't let you have my death."

"I told you, I'm not going to –"

But the blonde raised a hand to shut up his opponent. "Don't." He passed into a crouching position. "Just bring it on."

With a snarl, Naruto pushed his feet off the ground and made a jump forward.

The abrupt movement sent a sudden explosion of pain through his whole body. His muscles burned like they were set on fire and for seconds he lost his sight.

In spite of his pain he covered the distance parting them quite fast. Sasuke prepared himself to intercept the first attack. Naruto lifted his leg, as if aiming for the raven's face. That provoked his opponent to protect

his head with one arm. But instead of completing the attack, he jumped in the direction of the sword. He reduced his momentum with a summersault to not hit the grass face first.

That sent a second wave of pain through his body and his breath went so heavy as if he had run thousands of kilometres. Every single part of his body hurt like there were sharp knives being slammed into him.

He was sure he felt something wet running down his chest.

_Some of the wounds must have reopened._ He thought. _Damn. That hurts. _

He grabbed the sword next to him with a last effort. Where was Sasuke?

He noticed his linnen shirt was blood sodden. He felt sick. Without hesitation he drew the silvery shining weapon and, with a quick movement, tended to his stomach.

"NO!" he heard Sasuke scream.

He had no time to wonder about his exclamation, because suddenly the raven was on top of him, sitting on his chest. His legs were pinning Naruto's arms down. Sasuke had wrested the sword from him

and was holding it in one hand. Blood run down the weapon. But it was not his own. The raven had gripped the blade with his bare hand.

Naruto looked at him with eyes wide open. The pain was now no longer endurable, it came and flooded his body again and again. He choked and tasted blood.

"Shit!" He heard Sasuke say, but it sounded distant. The whole world was diffuse and cloudy, like a picture out of focus.

He felt how the pressure on his arms faded and there was Sasuke, bending over him. His face was so close. Naruto smiled. "r eysw aso buful." He managed to say.

Most probably Sasuke would kill him now. He would accept it gratefully. It would ease his pain.

And he already meant to hear the humming sound of the chidoris lightning. He imagined how the raven's perfect, pale hands would pierce through his chest and blow out his life.

Then, finally, his body gave in and released him into the dark world of unconsciousness (or death?).


	3. “r eysw aso buful”

**Chapter 3**

**"r eysw aso buful."**

The room was lighted by two gas lamps, which casted dark shadows on the walls and bathed their surroundments in a dim light.

The chambers furniture was limited to a bookshelf, a red sofa and a big, two-persons-bed. There were two figures standing beside of the bed, each one on a side.

Their eyes were resting on a sleeping figure in their middle, laid down and wrapped up in a couple of red blankets.

For a while, the silence was broken only by the sound of their breathing.

Then, Kabuto began to speak. "I managed to heal most of his wounds completely. There were only two which had reopened. They've been quite deep, though. One of his lungs had been perforated."

He had lifted the blankets. "Look, this one... and this one." Kabuto was about to touch the blonde's uncovered chest, while pointing at the scars the wounds had left.

But Sasuke gave him an icy glance and immediately, the grey retreated his hand and straightened his glasses in trying to struggle with the moment of embarassment.

He gave a little cough, then continued. "However... The scars will fade after a few weeks. But he will continue feeling exhausted and weak for at least another seven days.

We should make sure he rests during the next time... That means, no abrupt movements, no tiring activities." He paused and gave Sasuke a weird gaze, which could be interpreted in various ways.

The raven frowned, giving him an impatient glance. "Go on."

Kabuto hurried to carry on with the report. "Well, there's a thing that leaves me kind of staggered... Actually, they must have already given him medical treatment in Konoha.

But considering the condition in which have been the lesions when you brought him... The fact that they weren't healed properly and reopened so fast...

Indicates that the medical ninja who healed him lacked of knowledge and abilities. Thus, it can not have been Tsunade."

"So Tsunade is out of town?" Sasuke looked thoughtful. "Most likely." Kabuto frowned. "You know, you brought him in a very unstable condition.

It would have been almost too late. He was close to death." Sasuke nodded. "I know. And that all because of an incomplete treatment."

"Luckily, the healing process will proceed much quicker than it would in the case of a normal person. You know why, right?" He gave the raven a questioning look.

"Of course I do. It's the Kyuubi." His lips formed a silent grin now and his eyes suddenly started to gleam like a childs who had got a new toy.

Kabuto glanced at him, irritated. "If I might say this, I just don't understand you. Why have you brought him here in the first place? He will cause nothing but trouble.

They'll notice soon enough that it wasn't Naruto who died in that chasm. Although I did pretty well on the corpse." The pride resonating in the grey's voice was unmistakable.

"Then the whole village will send search teams and try to find him like a pack of sniffling dogs." He wrinkled his nose. "I mean, it's the boy who contains the Kyuubi we are talking about."

Meanwhile, Sasuke's grin had faded and he was now observing Kabuto with an emotionless face again. "I know exactly what I'm doing, believe me. I have found a way to extract the Ninetails.

I've personally developed the results of one of Orochimaru's investigations." Kabuto drew back, staring at him in surprise. "You've found a way to make the Fox demon docile?"

His eyes focussed the blonde, resting in their middle. Sasuke nodded. The grey sighted.

"You better tell me all about it later, Sasuke. But I guess it's worth the risc, after all. Anyways… May I retreat now? Your foxy friend there devoured lots of my chakra today."

The raven waited for the clicking noise of the door, then he sat down on the bed and stared at the blonde's chest, which was moving up and down with his breathing.

He let his eyes wander upwards to Naruto's lips, which were slightly parted. It was true that there was a part of him who was interested in the incredible mighty power of the fox demon…

On the one hand, such power would be very useful to him. But on the other hand there was Naruto, the host… The process of extracting the demon would on any account end mortally for him.

Which one would be his priority?

It was or the one or the other.

Back at the chasm there had happened something strange… He had felt Naruto's pain and desperation as if it had been his own.

It had torn him appart to see him standing there, willing to end his life so ungruding. Because of him… It annoyed him that Naruto had got far enough to grab his sword.

He had been careless. His lips formed a thin line. What a stupid idiot Naruto was. He would never submit to such primitive feelings as love.

Bonds were an incredible weakness. He would use the blonde boy to accomplish his goals. Maybe he'd play with him for a bit.

Unfortunately, Orochimaru's elicitation of the fox presupposed a healthy condition of the hosts' fisical and mental state. So he would have to wait. But he'd be patient…

Following a sudden impulse, he reached out his hand to touch Naruto's cheek. He looked so defensless, sleeping. His skin felt soft and warm under his hand.

He wondered how his neck would feel. Slowly, he ran his fingers across Naruto's neck and then drifted to his shoulders.

Just in that moment, Naruto moved his arms beside his head, then turned to the side Sasuke was sitting.

"Sa…su…" His lips formed in a silent whisper. The raven stared at him. He wondered what he was dreaming.

How would it be to touch more than just his neck and shoulders? Naruto would be helpless… He could do whatever he wanted…

He shook his head, in disbelief. Yeah, maybe he'd play with him a little. But later.

He got up and walked away with a weird feeling in his stomach region.

At the back of his mind, a memory began to emerge. First, little and unassertive, but soon it filled out all of his thoughts.

It was the image of Naruto, pinned down to the ground, his lips blood stained and choking. He had been struggling to breathe.

Nevertheless his Sharingan had been able to interpret the words Naruto's lips had formed.

"Your eyes are so beautiful." And the blond boy had smiled.

Somehow, that sentence kept repeating itself over and over again, as hard as Sasuke tried to banish it.


	4. The Awakening

_Naruto was running through a tunnel. The darkness was so dense he could almost touch it._

_He was blinded, but nevertheless he knew where to and why he was running, always running. His lungs ached. But he knew he couldn't stop. He would lose track._

_With all his inner agony resonating in his voice he screamed._

_One word. One name. "SASUKE!"_

* * *

**Chapter 4**

**Awakening**

With the comeback of his consciousness, the pain also returned.

Yet it was a pain in a minor key, not like the waves of living fire which had devoured him earlier.

Wait, pain? He was not dead?

Slowly, Naruto opened his eyes. He turned his head and noticed that he was lying in a double bed.

Where the hell was he? Carefully, he pulled the sheets away and sat up.

He grimaced as his body sent him a stronger sensation of aches. He shouldn't move too much. _God_, his head was going to explode.

Anxious he looked downwards, but surprisingly his reopened wounds had been healed properly. The only thing left were scars, shimmering silvery in the light of an oil lamp, placed on a table by the bed.

At least they had not doffed his linnen pair of trousers.

Curious he inspected the rest of the chamber with his gaze. It was about five metres broad and of the same length.

In front of the bed, at the other side of the chamber, there was a white sofa. Next to the sofa was placed a bookshelf.

So Sasuke had caught him after all. He was surprised by the fact that he was still alive.

That Sasuke obvisiously had spared him from death couldn't mean any good.

He had to get away... Although it would be difficult in his current condition.

He swung his legs out of the bed and cautiously placed his feet on the red carpet covering the floor. Charily he let go of the bed and tried to stand up. His legs were like jelly.

He stumbled towards the door, clinging with one hand to the cold stone wall.

His sore muscles protested angrily under the exercise he was forcing them to.

Naruto pressed the door handle down. Unlocked. Relieved he peeped through the door chink. Nobody was to be seen.

He tumbled into the empty hallway, which was lighted by some torches, attached to both sides of the corridor. He chose the left direction.

Moving forward slowly, with many stops in which he held up to the walls desperately, he soon reached the first turnoff. Then the second. He picked his route randomly, busy no to collapse and keep consciousness.

It was so confusing... All the corridors looked the same. The next turnoff, he just chose to just keep straight on.

His footsteps were swallowed by the thick red carpets. The hallways were all in deep silence, when suddenly a door a few paces ahead of him was pushed open.

Paralized he watched as Sasuke stepped into the corridor and closed the door behind him. There was absolutely no hiding place far and wide. Naruto heald his breathe when the raven noticed him.

In the dim light of the torches he looked like an angel of perdition, dark shadows on his face. But for sure the most beautiful there had ever been.

Naruto swallowed. "Ehm... The toilet..." He stammered.

"Now, now!" Sasuke said, examining him top down. "Look who we got here. We both know you were not looking for the toilet." He continued with a streak of irony.

"I must say I am surprised you're able to walk..." Naruto didn't know what to say.

He made a pace sideways to lean against the wall. His legs were about to give in.

"So what's your plan, Sasuke?" he asked. "Torture and kill me right after? Pump me for information? Hand me out to Akatsuki?" He paused.

"Or has it something to do with the Kyuubi?" Sasuke's face hardly twitched before he regained the control again. But Naruto had seen it. He had hit the bullseye.

"You bastard!" He screamed. His natural reflexes ordered him to lunge at his counterpart and smash his face into a thousand pieces. He pushed off from the wall and made an attempt to jump forward.

Too late he remembered his fisical condition and a convulsion provoked by the pain that suddenly flooded him made him stumble.

He gasped for breath as he fell forover, face first. As if put in slowmotion he watched the ground come closer. 

_That's gonna hurt._ He thought.

He heard the noise of rustling fabric, a few, quick steps.

Then he was caught in the arms of Sasuke, which had stopped him from falling.

Their faces were only inches away and he could feel the raven's bare skin, since his white kimono was as always slightly opened. "You are _so reckless_." Whispered the raven.

His sweet breath touched Naruto's face and made him go dizzy. He stared into the dark eyes, endless pools of impenetrable blackness. Their faces were so near, _so near._

_God._ Naruto thought. _This is tearing me apart._ Carefully, he tried to free himself of Sasuke's embrace.

But instead of letting him go, the other lifted him up and walked back into the direction of the room Naruto'd come from.

"Oi, put me down already! I can walk on my own." Objected the blond, struggling to escape. "Yeah, we just saw that..." The raven murmured with a straight face.

Soon Naruto gave up resisting and, with a sight, leaned his head against his former comrade's shoulder.

_I must be heavy._ He thought, a little worried.

But if he was, Sasuke didn't let on about it. He carried him as if it was the easiest thing in the world.

Shortly after they reached the room the blond had woken.

Cautious the raven laid him down on the bed. Naruto didn't dare to move. Too precious seemed this moment, this very moment in which Sasuke was looking down at him, making a thoughtful face.

Frowning, as if he was not sure about doing the right thing. Naruto's mind was full of thoughts, full of a thousand reasons why he should not allow his feelings to get by.

He knew he should move away, or at least avoid the raven's piercing look.

But when Sasuke bent down and gently placed his soft lips on his own, all worries and concerns instantly got swept away.

The raven left his mind in blank, erasing all excuses, all lies. Erasing including himself. To leave only the truth.

* * *

HorsesRain: Yeah, I wanted to make it not that obvious :D! I'm glad you liked the chapter. :) x CharityBell


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